


Rocketships will take off

by Strawberry17



Category: Little Nightmares (Video Game)
Genre: Because these kids deserve to be happy and if i have to do it myself so be it, Neither does The Girl, Probably one of the more self indulgent things I've written, Runaway doesn't die, The Girl goes by Five and is Six's and Runaway's older sister
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-08
Updated: 2020-05-08
Packaged: 2021-03-03 04:09:08
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,709
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24068641
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Strawberry17/pseuds/Strawberry17
Summary: Endeavor doesn’t belong here. He has a home, a family, and a best friend he’s been away from for far too long, and it’ll be a cold day in hell before anything stops him. And he’s got his friends with him too! One way or another, they will make it out.(My own version of the events of Little Nightmares.)
Comments: 3
Kudos: 7





	1. Whether you’re in them or not

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Children of the Maw](https://archiveofourown.org/works/23905336) by [Engelsoft](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Engelsoft/pseuds/Engelsoft). 



_Daddy, look at what I made!  
You look exhausted.  
I’m going to really explore this place when i’m all grown up, it’s gonna be great!  
Why are you even alive?  
Daddy says I have to go away for awhile...hey, don’t worry! He says it’ll only be for a little while, I’ll be back before you know I’m gone. I can’t wait to tell you about all this cool stuff I’m gonna see Mo-_  
On a small hammock, tucked away in an abandoned air vent, Endeavor jerks awake, allowing himself to relax a tiny bit. Endeavor never really dreamed when he sleeps, he could probably count the number of times he actually dreamt on one hand. What he experienced was generally scraps of memories, woven together into some sort of clipshow.  
He’d better get ready, time wasn’t on his side here. He rolled out of his hammock, already dressed in his green long sleeve and jeans, only flinching a tiny bit at the metallic clank of his feet meeting the floor. It was only a reflex of course, one advantage of living down here was that not many came by anymore, and thus not many who wanted him in a stew or baked with potatoes. Of course, that also meant that nobody would come by to help if he ever got stuck, but he tried not to think about that. There were also rumors of something living in the more flooded levels, but he never had much reason to venture over there anyway, so not much of a threat there either.  
Ok, tool belt? Check. Glowsticks? Check. Goggles and gloves? Check and double check. Maybe it was a little much, but from how much he was around machines and live wires, he needed all the protection he could get.  
Grabbing a small scrap of paper, he wrote out his message. “I’ve moved on. Help yourself to whatever’s left. Good luck out there!” Yep, he was really planning to escape today, and whatever he couldn’t carry on his person or fit into the pouches of his belt was being left behind. Who knows, someone might find and make use out of his old stuff, maybe live in here, too.  
He started towards the exit of his little room, before taking one last fond look at the place. It definitely wasn’t home, but it was one of his few safe havens for a year and a half, and he’d be lying if he said he wasn’t gonna miss this place. He knew he wasn’t gonna see it again, whether he succeeded or failed. He finally turned and started on his way.  
The air ducts once again were useful. They ran all over the Maw like veins in a living creature, and while it would definitely take some climbing, it would also keep him out of sight for as long as possible, which would no doubt be useful. Endeavor paused, only for a minute to crack a glow stick, it’s bright green glow keeping the darkness at bay. He steeled his nerves and pressed forward. Into the unknown.


	2. Come one, come all to this tragic affair

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Endeavor’s journey leads him to a new area and an upsetting but unsurprising discovery

He usually hated being so tiny compared to everything else. He hated being vulnerable in general, at the complete and utter mercy of whoever found him in such a state. But at least it was useful here, making the vents seem far less claustrophobic and a lot less easier to actually travel through if he had been bigger. Every now and then, there would be a vent that he could peer out of, and could only be opened with a single push. He hadn’t been able to grab rope, or any material to make one out of, but the Guests were supposed to arrive very soon and like every year, the attention would be focused on them, making this the perfect time to slip out and hitch a ride on one of the ships.   
The thought of ropes always reminded him of this one girl, she always went by Five. She was one of the older kids and knew all sorts of neat things from her time outside, like making ropes out of fabric and how to climb things really fast. And she was the older sister of his two other best friends, Six and Runaway. Six was the one coming up with all sorts of plans and was pretty much a master of messing with the Janitor, not to mention she came up with the best puns. Runaway on the other hand, was older than her by a year and was a sweet boy who cared about others and loved sports. Gosh, he hadn’t seen any of them a year ago. He hoped they were alright.  
And then there was Mono, his only friend from home. He didn’t really like thinking about his city, he was so homesick-and he was crying again. He lifted up his goggles, wiping away those betraying tears. But now was no time to give up! If he could just keep going, he’d be back home before he knew it!   
As if right on cue, a large gust of air hit him square in the back, pushing him forward and tumbling at the same time. He sat up, rubbing the sore spot on his head. Someone must have turned the air on. He’d have to keep that in mind. While it definitely would be difficult when it was pushing in the opposite direction, maybe it would be enough to boost him up the slick walls of the vents. But he’d have to wait a while to test that idea, as his current path had hit a dead end. If it weren’t for the green glow and the faint light below him, he would’ve turned around. Endeavor grabbed an old rusty screw and opened the grate slightly in order to drop it. A splash. Yep, water was down there.  
Ok, time to think this through. He could turn back, and try to find another way up, but he was at one of the deeper parts of the Maw, and that would mean a lot of climbing with no helpful equipment. Sure, there was using the air gusts for help, but that could mean waiting around for hours, even days, one, and going in the direction he needed, too. And even though it was mostly quiet and abandoned down here, that didn’t mean the Janitor wouldn’t swing by for a visit. On the other, he’d be putting himself at risk of whatever was down there, and make a mad dash for the nearest vent, if there even was one nearby.  
Might as well go with the lesser of two evils.  
Falling is a funny feeling, he decided. It wasn’t one he liked either, feeling practically weightless and his stomach in his throat. His splash was a lot louder than the screw’s, but at least the water was deep enough to keep him from breaking a bone. He swam upwards breaching the surface, and saw the open grate above him. Welp, no turning back now. He froze, feeling something cold brush against his arm, and slowly turned around. It was an arm, belonging to a girl. She had brown shoulder length hair and pink long sleeve shirt and jeans, not unlike his own. Her brown eyes were wide open and skin deathly pale, but Endeavor had to check for a pulse. Yep, she was gone. He sadly sighed at her corpse, his time down here made it clear that dead bodies were a common occurrence, but that didn’t lessen the sadness he felt every time he saw one. Besides, she didn’t look that much older than him. He picked her up, and dragged her to solid ground. “C’mon, I can’t give you a proper burial, but let’s see what we can do for you.”   
Funerals were a common thing back where he came from. He didn’t understand it the first time, why a sleeping person covered in red water put in a hole in the ground. Mono didn’t completely grasp the concept either. But from what he could remember, his dad said they were a way to honor the living. Ever since, whenever he came across a body, he tried to give it the closest thing to a burial he could. Since he obviously couldn’t dig a hole in floors made of concrete, he settled for bringing her to the least wet area he could find, and covering her the best he could with a few planks of relatively dry wood. He would have tried to find a lantern or given up one of his glow sticks, he remembered that his dad set down candles near graves, but that would probably attract unwanted attention to her body. “I guess this is the part where I say something, right? Well, I’m really sorry you never made it, I can’t imagine that the way you went down was pleasant. You were trying to leave too, huh?” Dead silence. Endeavor opened his right toolbelt pouch and grabbed a small pair of scissors to cut off a small piece of fabric from one of her sleeves. “I’ll tell you what, when I get out of here, one of the first things I’ll do is find a nice tree or hill and bury this there. And then you’ll have made it, in a way.” Scissors and fabric were tucked back into the belt pouch before grabbing a piece of wood and jumping back into water. This kind of wood floats, which would make it easier to paddle. “I really should be going, sleep well alright? Wherever you went, I hope it’s better than here.” The sounds of splashing water as he kicked now punctured the silence. He was absolutely soaking wet at this point, but at least this way he could keep his head above the water. As the water lead him through a bend, he took one last look over his shoulder, and could just barely see her makeshift grave as he paddled away


	3. We(’ll) meet again

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As Endeavor paddles his way through the water, he finds a new enemy and old friends

“...and let the cloak of life cling to your bones, cling to your bones. Wake up, wake up. Wake up, wake up.” Endeavor couldn’t help mumbling songs under his breath as he slowly but steadily made his way through the water. He definitely wasn’t gonna get tired any time soon, and he could just pull himself onto one of the pipes or walls to rest a while if he needed. ...or the many pieces of furniture? It was enough to make him wonder if he was getting close to somewhere all the garbage was dumped, but since the Maw had about a million different machines and appliances (many of which he knew from the inside out), it would honestly be surprising if this is where it was all going.   
He shivered, but it couldn’t be from the water. Even with how far down below they must be, the temperature wasn’t all that cold. No, he could feel somebody staring at him. He hesitantly turned around, but even with the glow stick, he couldn’t really see that far into the shadows. He turned back around and shook his head. Maybe it was just his mind playing tricks on him, he had been on edge a lot lately planning this and-  
Something tugged on his leg.   
Good ol’ survival instinct kicked in, anh he ditched the plank of wood in order to make a mad dash and pull himself onto a dock. Only once he was out of the water did he allow himself to turn around. The large amount of bubbles in the water made his heart drop into his stomach. Endeavor slowly backed away, stopping when his back hit the wall. Great, he was cornered. He wasn’t exactly eager for round two with the thing, but the only other option was waiting for it to lose interest and leave, but personal experience told him that wouldn’t be happening anytime soon. Great, just gre-what was that smell?! He felt around, and seemed to grab the source. It was a fish, left out for god knows how long. He was suddenly very grateful he wore gloves. He got an idea. He flinged the fish as hard as he could in the direction he came, and as he leapt back into the water, he could see it being dragged underneath the newly formed waves. Whatever’s down there really is looking for snacks.  
He swam as fast as he could, jumping onto a crate, and then a nearby light fixture for dear life. He swung himself as far as it could go, managing to land close enough to a set of oil drums, from which he sprang on to a set of drawers. He allowed himself to breath for a moment. This was made out of wood, it wouldn’t be that dumb to trying raming it would, it? The drawers springing a few inches into the air answered his question. He took another breath and a running start to hopefully get closer to a set of wooden planks floating nearby. Once he reached the end, Endeavor jumped once more, landing on yet another oil drum. Another quick swim led him to more drawers, which he climbed like a ladder to reach a set of large metal pipes. These were high above the water, and only then he allowed himself a proper break. He tensed his muscles, waiting for a slightly swinging boat to reach him before jumping in. He decided to ignore the body bags, he was dealing with enough as is.  
He felt his heart drop into his stomach. There was nothing else he could use to gain distance between him and it. He had to swim as fast as he could in order to reach solid ground again. He did just that, but he could feel it grabbing at his leg once again, this time determined to pull him under. Well, if this was how it’s gonna end, he refused to make it easy. He wiggled and punched, trying to make it loosen its grip, but the water made it difficult to land an actual effective blow.   
All that splashing must have caught someone’s attention, as he could feel something grab one of his arms and the next thing he knew, he was hauled out of the water, away from its grasp. The creature (a human?) stuck its head and eyes out of the depths, and he couldn’t help but shudder at the anger within them. Another splash and it was gone. He was safe, at least for a little while.  
“That was really close, are you ok?” He jumped slightly, it had been a while since he heard a voice that wasn’t his, and even then he really didn’t talk all that much. He brushed some hair out of his goggles, through all that panic he hadn’t even noticed that they were in the way.   
A pause hung in the air for a moment, then someone threw themself at him. “Endeavor!” His eyes were wide, he’d recognize that voice anywhere. “Runaway? You’re ok! And Five and Six!” It was difficult not to shout joyfully, but he somehow managed to do it nonetheless. Six jokingly rubbed his hair just like she used to. “Glad to see you’re still kickin’.” He only let Runaway go to properly hug her, then Five. Said girl pulled him into a tight hug. “I’m really glad you’re ok.” Endeavor was simply drinking it all up, it had been a very long time he had any sort of affection. The eldest finally let him go. “I take it you’re breaking out, too?” The boy nodded. “We should go together!” Runaway’s whisper-shout had received a thumbs up in approval from Six. Five looked back at him. “Well?” Four was far better than one, after all! The boy in green gave his own thumbs up. “I’m in.” Five grinned and led the younger children over to a wall off wooden planks, filled with so many gaps and holes that they easily used it as a ladder. As Runaway held out his hand to help Endeavor up the last few planks, he couldn’t shake the feeling of excitement. If he had any doubts that he wouldn’t make it, they were quickly washed away.


End file.
